


Open Mic and Caffeine Nights

by Shattered_Mirrors_and_Lace



Series: Coffee Beans and Vinyl Records [5]
Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, pure fluff, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-11 18:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5636500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shattered_Mirrors_and_Lace/pseuds/Shattered_Mirrors_and_Lace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Open Mic Night at Coffee for Closers, and, as it turns out, Patrick's on the setlist. The thing is, he just doesn't know it yet. </p><p>Or,</p><p>Where Pete finally gets to hear Patrick sing with the help of the Closer Crew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next part! Enjoy!
> 
> This fic is un-beta'd and all mistakes are mine

 

It’s fucking cold, which, okay, Pete admits, it’s the beginning of November, hence autumn, but still, it’s cold. And it sucks.

But fuck it, he wants to get coffee before his meeting, and he wants to see a his boyfriend.

 _Boyfriend_.

Pete smiles at the very thought of the word, the image of a sleepy Patrick curled up on the deep grey sofa in his office, fedora knocked from head, comes to his mind and fills his chest with warmth…god he was such a sap.

Since that day in the office weeks ago, things between the both the CEO and the barista had been going amazing. Date nights were planned between Pete’s hectic label responsibly and Patrick’s class and work schedule.

Patrick was also becoming somewhat of a constant figure at the office as well, thanks to Joe and Andy; both of them sneaking Patrick into Pete’s office for lunch or after classes, but mainly when Pete’s being a workaholic and needs a break. Pete would admit, though, that he enjoys seeing the strawberry blonde barista lounging on his couch in his office, or with in a chair seated by the floor to ceiling window with a book, sheet music, or laptop, eyes gazing out to look over the city. The older whiskey eyed man would also admit that they, too, have had their fair share of (sometimes heated) makeout session in Pete’s office, a few of those being interrupted by Joe, who has a tendency of not knocking before entering (many of those instances have ended with Joe slapping a hand over his face and turning around screaming ‘My eyes!! MY EYES!!’).

(Date)Nights and free time are often spent at Patrick’s apartment, cooking, listening to whatever records or samples Pete brings over, or watching a movie, and when not in Patrick’s cozy little home, they’re out and about. Pete offered to take them to his flat, however, explained that he was in the process of moving to another apartment closer to the office and was basically living out boxes. Patrick only laughed and offered to help if he needed it. A few days later, Pete ended up bringing over the moving box containing his entire vinyl collection, along with a box of pizza. Patrick, shaking his head with a beautiful smile, welcomed him in with a six pack of beer and a ready to use record player. Needless to say, it was one of Patrick’s and Pete’s favorite dates.

It works out, and it’s perfect; and Pete couldn’t have imagined anything better.

One thing, though, that had really captivated Pete, is the snippets of songs Patrick sings when he thinks he’s not listening. They’re rare, but when he catches the tune of something being hummed underneath Patrick’s breath or when he sings along to song, Pete’s heart sores. He’s tried coaxing more out of the barista, but Patrick simply blushes and shies away, always saying something to the effect of “I don’t sing Pete…Play guitar, yeah, but singing; I’m not made for that.”

Pete doesn’t fall for it, not one bit, but drops the topic, planting a kiss on the barista’s lips.

The CEO is broken out of thought as a hos phone buzzes in his pocket. The coffee shop is only a block a way and he could practically just see Patrick’s smile. It turns out to be Joe .and answers it, placing the phone to his ear.

“I’m out on a coffee run-”

“More like a Patrick run,” Joe snickers from the other line. “Hey, can you bring me and Andy something? Please dude? I’ll fall asleep flat on my fucking face if I don’t get caffeine in me.”

“Whatdaya want?”

“Something hot, extra strong, and with peppermint..”

“That sounds like your taking about Hurley”

“Fuck you, if it weren’t for the fact that he’s vegan, I’d tap that…ow! Don’t be jealous that you don’t get all of this.” Pete swears he hears Andy on the other end muttering something and grins. “Speaking of Andy, does he want anything?”

“Yeah, Andy wants his vegan, soy, not really a fucking latte but I don’t even fight with him about that…oh wait,” Pete hears some more chattering over the phone, “he says that he wants fucking almond milk….Hurley make up your goddamn mind, man!...okay for sure almond milk latte with hazelnut…”

Pete laughs. “I got it, I’ll be back in a bit.”

“We’ll cover your ass, man. And say hi to Patrick for us!”

He arrives at the Coffee for Closers, a familiar sight of customers and a steady workflow greet him, along with very familiar faces. Brendon is at the register today, lively chatting with a customer as Gerard and Patrick are making drinks and retrieving baked goods for various customers.

He waits in like and catches a glimpse of Patrick talking avidly to Gerard and two customers on the other side of the bar, a lanky blonde with dark sunglasses and another with a fro that could have rivaled Joe’s a while back before he decided to get a haircut. As they received their drinks, they move to leave, the lanky blonde called out back to the floosy-red haired barista. “See ya Gee!”

Gerard calls back with a grin as he brushed a stray strand of red out of his face. “Bye Mikey, bye Ray.”

“Bye guys!” Patrick adds, his back turned as he washed out some blenders.

“BYE TOROSAURUS AND MIKEYWAY!” joins Brendon a little too loudly, which causes many customers to giggle. Gerard shakes his head with a laugh, and as he does, he catches sight of Pete in line and waves. Pete waves right back. Patrick still has his back to the line as he works along the back counter, filling blended orders and calling out names.

When he reaches the front of the line, he notices Brendon shoot Gerard a look before nodding his head over to Patrick. The other barista nods in return and then turns to Patrick. Pete can’t help but watch as the red-headed barista talks to the shorter, who nods in return before disappearing to the back. The CEO cant help but feel that something was up…

“Hey Pete! What will it be today?” Brendon greets cheerfully.

“Hey Bren,” he smiles, “Can I have a Peppermint Mocha with a single, an almond milk Hazelnut Latte, and whatever Patrick feels like making today.”

“Okay, let me repeat this for ya...you want a Dirty Santa Claus, Vegan Nut Bar with extra nuts, and the Boyfriend’s Choice?”

Pete tries really hard not to crack up, but can’t help the snickers that escapes him, because how the hell could Urie do that with a fucking straight face. “Yeah, man, that sounds about right…”

“Awesome, and I’ll throw in a side of Fedora Lover Boy on break if you want, you know, just because you’re a loyal customer,” he smiles he bats his eye-lashes playfully.

Pete hands over his credit card, chuckling. “What can I say, I can’t take my business anywhere else now.”

“Damn right you can’t!,” Brendon grins, before turning around to look at the door Patrick went through moments ago. “We sent him to get some more cups from the back, but I hid them extra good so we could talk to you for a bit.” He motions over to Gerard who’s calling up two orders. “Fire-crotch will fill you in,” he whispers, and, as if having some sort of magical listening ability, Gerard replies curtly.

“If you ever call me that again, I’m sicking a coffee-deprived, wild Frank on your sorry ass, and he will destroy your piano…”

“NOT MY BABY EVANGELINE!!!” Brendon shrieked in terror.

“Then find another name Bren!”

“Okay, Fire Truck…we’ll go with Fire Truck…oooh! Or Red Tide, Crimson Tide? Wait no…that Hayley..”

Pete shakes his head as Brendon returns his card and makes his way over to Gerard, who greets him with a kind smile. “Hey Pete.”

“Hey Gerard, what’s up.”

Gerard looks over his shoulder before turning back to Pete and the expresso machine. “We’re going to be having Open Mic tomorrow night, and Patrick’s singing, so we kinda want you to come, you know, for moral support.”

Pete perked up at that, because Patrick hold him about it, but not the singing part. Yeah, he’s caught brief snippets of Patrick singing but never full out, and god, when does catch those rare hidden moments, Pete swears the room lights up and it’s amazing, hell, he’s even tried getting Patrick to record a cover at DCD2, you know, just to humor him, but the strawberry blonde Barista also declines, and laughs it off.

 _“I’m not recording material, Pete…”_ There’s always a small sad smile that Pete kisses away every time, but now he can’t help but wonder what put it there in the first place…

Pete wants to ask him about it, but that will before for another time, when they’re alone.

His focus comes back to Gerard as he makes the order after Pete’s; the CEO assuming that his boyfriend will be the one to make their drinks.

“Yeah, he told me about Open Mic night, but he didn’t mention anything about singing,” because it wasn’t like Patrick to not tell him something like that.

“Well, that’s the thing…he doesn’t know yet.” Oh…well there’s the kicker…

Pete looks at Gerard with a confused looked as the other simply grins while he packs ground expresso into a drip. “Come again?”

Gerard smiles at the CEO, eyes bright against pale skin, as he leans in. “We have a friend, a regular here at the shop. He and my brother Mikey are friends, and Travie, the guy, also has class with Patrick.” Pete nods; he’s heard of Travie, Patrick talks about him a lot because they have class together and he’s been working on a song with him as well for a final project or something like that for a composition theory class. “So Travie gonna be at Open Mic Night, he’s doing a song with this girl, but he’s going to ask Patrick to sing their song on a fly too, kinda like a test run for before finals...”

“When is he gonna ask Patrick?”

“If everything goes as planned, that night. And Travie’s shown my brother a snippet of the song with Patrick’s vocals on it, he says he’s awesome…”

“You think it will work? Getting Patrick to sing?”

Gerard shrugs, “Hopefully, McCoy pulls stuff like that on Patrick all the time, he probably won’t be surprised, but it’s fun. And if Patrick says no, Travie will back off and maybe next open mic, we can get Patrick to do an acoustic set, but it’s worth a try.”

Pete nods, thinking about the whole situation and how he would literally do just about anything to hear Patrick sing.  “Tomorrow night?”

“Yup, first act is on at 7pm. I think Brendon is going to be on the set list, too.”

Pete tries to mentally go through his schedule for tomorrow night. Usually when Patrick works, they try not to plan anything, or he usually does something work or label related. He keeps drawing a blank and mentally notes to ask Andy or Joe if he’s free, or even if they’re free, so that the two of them can tag along, beside, they’re always looking for local talent.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I’m booked, but I’ll come,” Pete reassures Gerard.

“Perfect,” the other smiles, securing a lid onto a cup and calling out a name. “Even if he doesn’t go one, we’ll all be here. He’s covered shifts for Hayley and myself more times than we could count, we can probably let you sweep him away after the set. We tend to close shop early after the show.”

Before Pete could reply, Patrick appears in the door way, with a bag of cups under his arm, glaring at Brendon. “Goddamnit Brendon, I’m 5’5”! That wasn’t funny you ass!” The accused barista at the register starts to bubble with giggles that he so desperately tried to hold in.

Pete watches as Gerard looks over his shoulder to look at Patrick, blue-green hazel eyes piercing the other’s back. Pete swears that if looks could kill….

“Where did he put them?” Gerard asked, just as confused at fedora wearing barista. Patrick then turns and points back at the room he just came out of at a high angle. “He put them up _there_!” Brendon then collapses with manic laughter, tears forming at his eyes as he clutched his knee and his stomach.

Patrick, not really having it today, takes the long row of packaged cups and hits Brendon on the head with a frown, cheeks flushed red with anger. Gerard sighs before turning to Pete. “Okay, him putting the cups up high was _not_ part of the plan….he just had to make them difficult to find…”

Pete ducks his head down and grins before Gerard calls out to Patrick. “Stump, I’ll deal with Brendon, there’s an order for you.” At that Patrick takes a deep breath and turns, eyes going wide and flush on his pale cheeks darkening slightly when blue-hazel eyes catch Pete’s warm whiskey.

“Having fun?” Pete asked the strawberry blonde, stupid grin still plastered on his face.

Patrick shook his head before removing his glasses and running his hand over his eyes, pinching his nose slightly. “If being ridiculed for your height it your definition of fun, I’m having oodles of it.”

“Pete has three orders, mind doing them after your break or you want me to do them?” Gerard offered to the other barista with a small smile. Patrick shook his head, untying the apron from around his waist and removing it from his neck. “It’s okay Gee, I’ll do it.” Patrick grabbed a cup from the back work area and made his way over to Pete, going through the opening in the side over to where the CEO was sitting.

“Hey,” greeted Pete softly as Patrick settle against his side, the dark haired man easily moving his arm to rest around the younger’s waist.

“Hi,” Patrick breathed out, leaning into his touch, his personal cup cradled in his hands. Leaning up, he kissed Pete’s cheek, soft lips feather light and warm against his cheek and he returned it with his own, a soft kiss close to the corner of the barista’s lips. “You got time?” Patrick asked relaxing against Pete’s side.

Pete fishes out his phone and checks the time. He’s got about half an hour before the he’s needed back in the office, which is more than enough time. Besides, he’s rather spend it here than in his lonely office. “Yeah, you mind me chilling out with you during your break?”

Patrick shakes his head before finding Pete’s hand, and, as if on instinct, Pete searches out for his; interlacing their fingers, Pete’s thumb running along the soft skin of his hand before motioning for him to follow.

Brendon is too busy with a customer to even notice as they move to a quieter location. In the shop, along the far side, are a series of three booths. Today, there’s no one really hanging out in that area so it seemed perfect for a small little escape from the sounds of blenders and coffee being made.

The couple sides into the seats, relaxing against the well loved and worn leather, and against each other, melting to mold perfectly into one...

Pete kisses the fedora perched on Patrick’s head, as his arm curls around his waist, fingertips tracing gentle shapes long his shirt covered-side. “How was class?”

Patrick hums as he takes a sip of his cup. “Boring, like always. I wish the professor didn’t take attendance, but that’s the only way we get grades, on top of that I have a paper due next Tuesday and we’re required to use lecture notes, so I have no idea how that’s going to go.”

Pete hated going to classes, and if he could manage skipping and still passing, he would do it, not to mention papers were a pain in the ass the get started. “So an all-nighter Monday night?”

Patrick chuckles, “You know it.” He offers Pete a sip of his drink, tilting his cup slightly up as an offering. Pete accept, taking a small sip from the straw at Patrick watches him, gauging his reaction. Pete’s eyes widen as he pulls away, looking at the cup, then at Patrick, and back at the cup. His expression is priceless in Patrick’s eyes and he can’t help but laugh, kissing his cheek.

“Your face! It looks like you just saw God or something.”

Pete is quick to find Patrick’s eyes after staring at the cup. “ _Dude_ , this is like, _liquid gold,_ ” he gasped in amazement, because holy shit, Pete knew coffee, he would go as far to say that he was just about as snobbish about coffee as he was pizza (snobbish? Well, maybe just having really strong opinions, but he wasn’t pick to say the least; a slice of pizza was a slice of pizza, but that wasn’t the point here. We’re talking about _coffee,_ more importantly, _Patrick’s coffee_ ). “What’s this and can you make me one.”

“Hayley and I came up with it. It’s vanilla bean based with a pump of hazelnut, coconut, white chocolate and a single. We still haven’t figured out a name, but we’re hoping to have it on the menu by April, we figured it’ll be good for summer,” Patrick shrugged, snatching the cup away and taking a sip himself. Pete made a whimpering noise before the barista gave him with a roll of his eyes, handing the cup back to Pete’s awaiting hands. “You like it?”

“Fucking love it, Trick.”

The strawberry blonde nodded. “Awesome,” he smiled. “So,” started Patrick, changing the subject. “How’s your day going?”

Pete tells him about the meeting that he had to attending in the afternoon, and about this morning’s mini “crisis” that send a lot of people into a panic when someone lost a USB drive containing a new single that Corba was going to release, but then was found. But really, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

“Sounds like you had a lot of fun this morning.”

“More like on the verge of a panic attack…”muttered Pete as Patrick chuckled. Patrick’s phone began to buzz as the timer for his break went off. “Well, I guess I have to go back..”

Pete nodded, bringing their interlaced fingers to his lips as he kissed Patrick’s hand gently before kissing him soundly on the lips. It wasn’t anything over the top or anything too heated, after all, those kisses were saved for the (semi) privacy of Pete’s office or Patrick’s apartment, not exactly for a café of people. And besides, Patrick was still working, not to mention the probability of Brendon making a stupid comment or interrupting were both pretty high.

Patrick returned the kiss, his finger playing the dark hairs at the base of Pete’s neck even as they pulled apart. “Why can’t we just go to my apartment and make out on my couch to your vinyl collection?”

Pete hummed at the idea, no to mention the image of Patrick straddling his lap or having him on his back, relaxed and willing against the soft fabric of his secondhand couch. “Next time. Takeout and vinyls, and we’ll throw some makeouts somewhere in there.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Patrick smiled.

“You’re telling me, I’ll be having those images in my head during the meeting…I don’t know if that’s a blessing or curse, ‘Trick.” The dark haired CEO laughed.

“Soon,” the strawberry blonde reassured him, “Maybe this weekend. I work tomorrow night, but I’ll be free Saturday….”

Tomorrow night, Open Mic Night, now Pete definitely needed to make plans to attend. “Sounds good babe.” Patrick blushes at the endearment as they both exit the booth, making their back back to the coffee bar when he watches Patrick get back to work with his order. They talk more over the bar about Patrick’s classes and about the new Cobra single, and it’s nice, and Pete, frankly, doesn’t want to leave.

When Patrick finishes his order, all three coffee’s steaming hot and ready to go, along with a side of three cookies, Pete _really_ considers calling Joe and Andy and saying _‘Fuck it, screw the meeting’_ but he can’t. Before handing him his cookies, Pete readjusts his coat and the blue-hazel eyed boy reaches out fix his scarf with a flush on his cheeks. Once he’s done, Patrick hands him the to-go tray with smile that Pete swears just makes him want to melt and kiss the boy silly.

He gives in to the kissing, letting his lips slide over Patrick’s gently, chastely. “I’ll call you later?” he asks, his breath tickling the barista’s lips. The younger boy nods, kissing him once more on his cheek. “Have a good day.”

“You,too,” and Pete feels like a fucking sap, but he doesn’t want to leave. And apparently, Patrick see it and laughs. “You’re going to be late for your meeting, Pete.”

After another kiss, and another sly comment about getting a room by Brendon, Pete goes, and as he’s walking back into the cold, he re-visits his mental note about Open Mic Night and prays he doesn’t have anything tomorrow night.

He wouldn’t miss Patrick singing for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there will be a second part to this, however, I'm hoping to get his posted this week. I'm off from work but wanted to post this before I went into the dentist today, as I'm going to be having all my wisdom teeth removed. (Yikes) Anyways, let me know what you guys think, and try to guess what song I'm going to have Travie and Patrick sing! (Hint: Patrick doesn't 'officially' sing it, but there is a video of him performing the song.)
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are lovely and greatly appreciated!


	2. The Night (Love hit them...hard)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel terrible for taking forever on this update...I really do, but IT'S HERE and just in time for Valentine's Day! That being said, this is one of my Valentine's Day presents to you...well the happy fluffy one...if you want more angst, I updated "In the Breaking" which was a real tearjerker for me.
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for you patience while I worked on this! My surgery went amazing, even though I was drugged up for about two days and was on a ice cream and mashed potato diet for about two weeks. 
> 
> On to the fluff! I hope you all enjoy =)
> 
> As always, my fics are un-beta'd and all mistakes belong to me

The café is _packed._

Almost like, Black Friday shopping or sardines packed in a little tin, packed. Hell, there’s barely even enough room to _move_ without bumping into someone.

“Okay, don’t get me wrong, because I knew Coffee for Closers was popular with the university kids,” started Joe as he and Andy followed Pete into the café, standing wide-eyed at the door at the _mass_ amound of people, “but I’d never seen it _this_ busy, dudes….I mean, holy _shit_..”

Andy and Pete nodded in agreement, as they surveyed the homey little café that was now filled with lively chatter. Patrick did say that Open-Mic nights were their busiest days and often brought in most of the month’s income, but Pete didn’t think it would be this busy, or at least to this extent, which is not to say that it was _bad_ , hell, this was fucking amazing from a business stand point, and the fact that nearly everyone was munching on one of Brendon’s pastries or had a cup of coffee in their hands just meant more revenue for the Closer’s crew.

Pete, along with Joe and Andy, still couldn’t wrap their minds around it.

They made their way over to the order line, Gerard at the register and Hayley and Brendon making drinks and chatting with customers, cups flying from shelves, while Pete finally caught a glimpse of Patrick coming from the back room, shouting “Tray out!” as he held what appeared to be a fresh batch of sugar cookies from the oven in the back to the display case.

While the four baristas were smiling and laughing, despite, the overflow of customers, Patrick seemed to be radiating more than usual, hands moving fast as another customer, a short young woman with dark curly hair greeted him and he bagged cookie orders and handled them off to Hayley and then, when the tray was empty, made his way to the back.

It was chaos, and hell, but there was a flow and a rhythm to each other’s movement that clearly told Pete that each one of them enjoyed their jobs, especially now.

“I didn’t think there would be so many people,” commented Andy as they made their way over to the seating area, miraculously finding and empty table towards the back of the room, just still in good view of the small make-shift stage. As Pete looked around, he saw that many of the customers had forgone sitting in chairs and sat cross legged on the floor in groups, particularly towards the front near the stage, while chairs and tables seems to be flooded with people, and chatting crowds of students, regulars, and curious patrons.

“No fucking kidding,” nodded Pete, still glancing back over to the coffee bar, catching a glimpse of a fedora towards the back, moving back and forth. He wants to rush up to the bar, and pull the barista into a kiss, but he restrains himself, and instead, allows Joe to guide (more like pull) him towards an empty table in back.

There’s still a good amount of people sitting and chatting, and even waiting in line as Joe takes drink orders for them and stands in line. But Pete can’t help but keep glancing back to the coffee bar, a small smile on his lips as he watches Patrick float in an out, his cheeks slightly flushed but looking happy…

“You’re starting to borderline creepy, man” Andy smirked, heavily inked arms crossing on the table. Pete’s attention is turned from the bar back to his friend with a “huh?” which caused Andy to bark out laughing. “Dude! I swear, you have this puppy dog look whenever you glance back,  I can practically see the hearts in your eyes...” His smirk fades into a thin line of seriousness as his voice drops, but still soft and audible int the chatter of the café. “I just want you to be careful, Pete. Patrick’s an awesome guy, but I just don’t want to see you crash and burn again.”

Pete nods. “I know, Andy, but I’m taking this slow.” Andy shoots him a pointed look. “I am! I swear, the farthest we’ve gotten in make-outs in the office or on his couch! I haven’t gone this slow with anyone since I was fifteen, man.” And he’s being truthful, because considering that he and Patrick are going on close to three months together, Pete wants to be cautious and careful, especially many of his relationships since Jeanne never lasted more than two weeks, and plus, this is _Patrick_. And he wants to take his time with this because he doesn’t want to scare the younger man away.

Andy’s face soften, and Pete’s reminded of the drummer’s big brother tendencies and smiles back at him before he continues. “If I do something stupid, you have every right to kick my ass, Animal,” at the nickname, Andy raises an eyebrow before shaking his head. They’re van days were crazy, and even Andy “Animal” Hurley, has grown up like the rest of them, no longer throwing fists and breaking bones like they did in college. If anything, Andy, even though the most mature of the three back then, had matured even more in the years.

“You bet your ass I will,” he smirked, playfully punching Pete in the shoulder. “Now, try to be more ninja like when your shooting your sexy eyes at Patrick, you can make out with him all you want tomorrow, just try show some composer here.”

Pete chuckled, rubbing his shoulder as he spots a familiar slicked fro approaching them with a carrier and a plate of cookies in hand. “I make no promises, man,” he said grinning, before greeting Joe with child-like grabby hands towards his coffee.

Andy rolled his eyes again and lightly smacked him on the back of his head. “Act your fucking age for once.”

“Nope!” he sang, popping the ‘p’ at the end as Joe laughed, giving him his coffee and tossing him a sugar cookie. “I’m Peter Pan, remember,” taking a bite out of his cookie. “I don’t grow up when I’m out of the office. After work hours, I don’t adult.”

“I feel like I’m babysitting toddlers, I swear…” Andy sighed dead-staring Pete, while Joe gave him a high five in agreement.

They chatted, their voices blending in easily into the crowd, talking about business, the newst episode of Walking Dead, and just utter shit until Brendon bounced onto the stage, grabbing the mic as some people cheered. “ _Goooood Evening ladies and gents, sins and sinners alike_ ,” voice smooth as Sinatra’s before breaking into a laugh. “Last call for your caffeine fix, as you all know, we will only be serving during intermission and after the show out of respect for these fucking talented peeps.” There are cheers and applause from the crowd as Brendon continues. “Oh, just a friendly shout out to the baker of the night, Patrick, the dude in the fedora, he made all the cookies and cupcakes for tonight.” A louder cheer and applause came from the audience. “I feel so proud of him; see Patrick! Cookies and cupcakes are just as sweet as you, dude!”

“Fuck you Brendon,” came Patrick’s voice from the bar with a chuckle, many customers laughing.  “Love ya, Stump!” Brendon blows a kiss that direction with another laugh. “Anyways….we’ve got a lot of acts for you lovelies, as well as a surprise or two…” The crowed ‘ooo’ed lowly, as Brendon raised a playful eyebrow. “That being said, thank you all for coming out tonight, it really does mean a lot to us, so sit back, enjoy, and drink your coffees, you bunch of animals.” There’s another round of applause and some hollars from the crowd as he disappears from the stage.

Pete follows him with his eyes, a flushed, slightly annoyed, but smiling Patrick back at the bar, arms crossed as he punches Brendon, who laughs it off and does nothing more than snatches his fedora off of his head and ruffles strawberry blonde hair before placing the hat back on his head, Gerard and Hayley laughing goodheartedly along with them.

The barista pushes the other away with a grin, and heads back to work, and fuck, Pete realizes that the guys are fucking right- he’s got it _bad_.

A short time later the lights are dimmed and someone steps up on the stage and grabs the mic, speaking to the crowd. “Hey everyone, I’m Tyler and welcome to Coffee for Closers’ Open Mic Night! I’ll be taking over for the Brendon tonight as MC, so I guess we should get started huh?” the crowd cheers before he  continues “Let’s give our first performer of the nice a warm welcome, Ladies and gents, Halsey!”

A peite young woman with shocking teal hair comes up onto the stage with a guitar in hand. As she adjust the mic stand, she greets the crowd. “Hey everyone, I’m Halsey, and I’ll be singing one of my own songs, and I hope you like it,” she smiles. She sits on a stool and begins strumming a soothing, but slightly haunting melody, the crowd quiet and enraptured.

‘ _Cigarettes and tiny liquor bottles. Just what you'd expect inside her new Balenciaga…”_

Her voice floats easily in the venue as she sings, and after singing the chorus twice, the crowd sings along, swaying. Joe nudges Pete’s side and nods over to the girl on stage, as if saying, _That’s one to keep an eye on…she’s good_. Pete nods in agreement and the label CEO in his mind is making notes on prospects for local acts.

When she finishes, she takes a small bow before rushing off the stage, making her way to the edge of the crowd where Pete just notices the four barista’s are seated close to the coffee bar on the high chairs there. Halsey hugs Hayley and then makes her way over to Patrick, who envelopes her in his arms smiling, saying something to her before giving her a hi-five. She high-fives Brendon and then Gerard, along with a short, dark haired, tattooed kid next to the red-headed barista, Gerard’s arm around his waist as they lean against the bar. The four baristas, include the friends around them, are all happy and leaning against each other enjoying the show, talking and quietly amongst themselves with friends and coffee in hand. And seeing Patrick smile, well that brought a smile to Pete’s own lips, watching him chat animatedly with Hayley and with other friends.

“Quit it, you’re staring again,” jabbed Andy at his side, as the next act came on stage after being introduced, two friends by the names of Kurt and Sam, two laptops set up along with a variety on instruments.

_“So nah nah Honey, I'm good, I could have another but I probably should not; I've got somebody at home, and if I stay I might not leave alone . No, honey, I'm good… “_

The show continues on and Pete’s fucking impressed. He’s definitely keeping an eye on this kid named Troye and some other acts, and overall it’s fucking fun, and he’s having a great time. Andy and Joe are also taking notes about some of the acts, some to watch in a long run, and others that might need a little polishing and mentoring, but overall all, there’s prospect, a fucking ton of it, and they’re excited.

“So, this will be our last act before the 20 min intermission, guys. Help me welcome to the stage Travie McCoy!” The crowd cheers as the performer appears, beanie on his head and tattoos on his hands. Pete’s heart began to race, because this should be the same Travie Gerard had told him about yesterday, the one who was going to get Patrick to sing. He turns his head back to where Patrick was seated with the others and found him missing. He quickly turned back to the stage and tried to take a peek at the side where the audio had been set up, but he couldn’t see past the speaker…

“How ya all doin’?” Travie asks the crowd which responds to him back with some hoots and hollers. He laughs as he adjust his mic stand. “So,” he starts lazily, “I was gonna sing a certain lil song that you all liked last time, but, my partner in crime, Melissa, got sick,” there were some ‘aww’s from the crowd. “However,” he paused playfully with a grin, “ a good friend of mine and myself have been workin’ on a lil somethin’ somethin’ for class and I’d thought we could share with you all.” The crowd applauded “So, that being said, this song’s gonna be dedicated to another one of my best friends, he’s fighting cancer; and the dude I’m going to ask to come up on this stage right now, he’s really helped make this song come alive and mean somethin’ and I’ll be forever grateful. Patrick, homie, would you help me sing this work of art?”

The crowd roar as Patrick makes his way up the stage from the side, his fedora perched neatly on his head and a small, shy smile on his lips. He’s nervously playing with the cuffs of his cardigan as he fixes the mic stand to his liking before greeting the crowd with a simple “hey there”, a slight flush forming on his cheeks.

Pete watches with a racing heart and a face splitting grin as the barista looks over at the crowd for a brief moment before looking over at the taller man beside him, who shot him an encouraging grin with a nod. Patrick gave his own nervous smile back as he took a deep breathe while Travie returned his attention to the audience, speaking once more into the mic.

“This one’s called ‘The Fighter’.”

Travie and Patrick share one last look before the other nods to sometime to his side. As the music flows over the speakers, something soft and light but with a good beat. Travie starts rapping into the mic with a smile.

“ _Just waking up in the morning_

_And to be well,_

_Quite honest with ya,_

_I ain't really sleep well..”_

_Ya ever feel like your train of thought's been derailed?..._ ”

Pete’s eyes are soley focused on Patrick and the smile that’s on his lips as he moves to the beat, hands stead on the mic, watching as the nerves slowly melt away as Travie continues the bridge, looking over to the strawberry blonde beside him.

“ _Until the referee rings the bell_

_Until both your eyes start to swell_

_Until the crowd goes home_

_What we gonna do ya'll?”_

Patrick leans into the mic, eyes closed as he takes a breath, heart racing in his ears.

“ _Give em hell, turn their heads_

_Gonna live life 'til we're dead.”_

And its like the crowd almost takes a collective gasp at the sound of Patrick voice coming over the microphone, light and airy with a slight tremor of nerves, but no one seems to care as he continues, blue-hazel eyes opening to look out into the crowd, his voice growing stronger as he sings.

_“Give me scars, give me pain_

_Then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me_

_There goes the fighter, there goes the fighter”_

Pete…Pete just can’t fucking believe it. That this sassy, coffee making, Costello loving _angel_ that he’s had the absolute blessing of knowing and going out with for the last almost three months has such a voice; he’s nearly frozen. If Pete didn’t think he could fall more in love with this kid any more than he was, he was dead wrong. He looks around at the crowd and sees everyone in a similar state of amazement before returning his gaze back to the stage, his heart beating impossibly fast, and with a stupid grin that’s far too big for his face. And fuck, he’s in _love._

_“Here comes the fighter_

_That's what they'll say to me, say to me, say to me,”_

Patrick voice comes out stronger, more assured as he continues to sing the chorus, it fills the café and makes people move along to the song. He doesn’t look as nervous, hell, he looks even more comfortable on stage then ever after the first few notes. It’s firm, soulful, and Pete wants to bottle it up and listen to it when he can’t sleep at night, when the voices in his head are louder than the beat of his heart.

Sudden blue-hazel eyes catch warm light brown even in the darken crowd, and Pete’s heart nearly stops and his stomach does that _fucking_ thing again, like it did when Patrick smiled at him for the very first time when he handed him his number; its tumbling and doing somersaults and the he really doesn’t want him to stop.

Patrick’s cheeks bloom with a faint flush as his eyes widen, but then his brief moment of shock turns into a shy, smile as he finished the line, shoulders relaxed as he sings into the mic.

“ _This one's a fighter._ ”

The crowd is in love with the song, as much as Pete’s in love the barista on stage, and watching him sway along to the music as Travie raps his verse, smiling, looking out into the crowd. When the chorus comes again, Patrick looks out into the crowd, picking up his fedora and placing it once again on his head, often sneaking glances over to Pete’s table, and every time he does, Pete gives him a small nod of encouragement. It’s all he really needs…

When the song ends, Travie and Patrick look to each other as the crowd erupts into applause, whistles and cheers, even as the two men on stage go in for a hug. When they pull apart and high-five each other and give a small bow, Patrick looking equal parts terrified and glowing with adrenaline.

Both he and Travie made their back down the stage as Tyler came back up and said something about an intermission, but Pete didn’t pay him any mind, not while was trying to follow a familiar fedora through the crows. “Holy shit…Patrick can fucking sing!” he heard Joe exclaim in an awed whisper from beside him. Pete can practically hear Andy nod in agreement. “Look’s like someone’s been holding out on us,” the vegan hummed before laughing.

Pete was shaken out of his search when he felt Joe playfully pinch his arm. “Ow! Joe what the fuck?” He rubbed his forearm as he glared at the curly haired man beside him.

“Go get your prince charming, Panda-ella! We’ll wait here for you,” Joe grinned with a wink as he drank from his cup. And hell, Pete didn’t need to be told twice. Without a moment’s hesitation, he was up and out of his chair, making a bee-line over to where the other barista’s were congratulating Patrick with warm hugs and words.

Patrick doesn’t notice him approaching, but Brendon does and simply smiles and wink as he keeps Patrick occupied by talking.

Pete can’t help himself, so he slips his hands from behind to rest of the younger man’s hips and planting a soft kiss to pale rose colored cheeks, causing Patrick to jump, but then relax in Pete’s touch. The barista turns around, eyes wide but he’s smiling so bright that the sun’s got some serious competition.

Before he could even utter a word. Patrick’s interlacing their fingers and leading him around the coffee bar through the small door the barista had been going through earlier during his shift, he tugs Pete along as they go through a back room to another door that leads outside, and Pete can’t help but blindly follow, _“I’d follow him to the edge of the planet if he wanted me too…”_ he thinks to himself, and its fucking cheesy and cliché as hell, but it’s the truth.

Somehow they make it outside, away from the crowd and from curious eyes, away from everyone so that it’s just the both of them and their racing hearts, as their lips pressed against each other in an alleyway, Patrick’s back against the rough brick of the wall, bringing Pete impossibly closer.

Patrick’s hand comes to settle on his shoulder as the other cradles his cheek sweetly, a small moan leaving his lips, which gives Pete just enough to slip his tongue into the barista’s sinful mouth, his own hand warm and heavy on the nape of Patrick’s neck, the other solid on his hip.

And it’s perfect and utterly amazing.

When they pull apart to catch their breath, lungs burning for oxygen, Patrick smiles up at Pete, cheeks nearly stained with a permanent flush that suit him so ridiculously well, Pete wants to take a picture and make it his background, forever capturing the moment.

“You’re here?” Patrick breathes out, to which Pete breaks out into a stupid grin as he nods his head. “How did you-?”

“Well, lets just say I got tipped off by a loud mouth baker with really colorful names for drinks and his firetruck red-headed accomplice,” Pete chuckled, kissing Patrick’s lips chastely. “So…about the whole ‘I don’t sing’ thing…”

Patrick rolls his eyes and his hands slide down to rest on Pete’s firm chest. “Don’t even…”

“I swear, if you say your singing sucks, there’s a whole crowd in there that would happily tell you otherwise….you’ve been holding out on me Stump, your voice is golden, babe.”

“Whatever,” Patrick smiles, before adding softly, “I’m glad you came, I glad I got to see you out there..” he whispers before leaning in to kiss him once more, and the CEO doesn’t even fight it, but simply kisses him back with as much as he could, his hands trailing down his sides as they get lost in the kiss. Pete’s more than glad he made sure he came, that he made Andy and Joe tie up loose ends earlier than normal so they could come and get the chance to watch Patrick sing on that makeshift stage in front of so many people, and to finally get to hear him sing.

It made his heart soar, and Pete wasn’t going to bring it down from the sky anytime soon, not as long as Patrick was here, warm, soft, yet solid under his fingertips.

Before things could heat up too much or be pushed _to_ o far (Pete’s careful, always gauging Patrick’s reactions when things are about to cross _that_ line, and right now, it isn’t something either one of them is ready for yet…especially Patrick), they pull away, stealing more than a few moments to hold each other close, and still a few more kisses before making themselves look decent as they headed back in.

The coffee bar is full and busy, but the other three barista reassure Patrick that they’re fine and could manage it on their own and practically push him out of the work area, Brendon telling him to enjoy the rest of the night and tomorrow as well.

“Are you _sure_?”

“For unicorns sakes Patrick, _yes!_ ” says Hayley with a sigh, shaking her head with a smile, nearly shoving him towards Pete. “You _deserve_ it, man! And you were amazing, just enjoy the night and your weekend!”

Gerard nodded alongside Hayley. “You always cover for us, let us return the favor, and don’t worry, _relax_.”

Patrick’s amount to make a retort when Brendon, Gerard, and Hayley shoot him a look that practically screamed _‘Don’t you DARE try to argue with us’_ , and so he didn’t, letting his shoulder relax and fix the three of them with a small smile before following Pete back to his table, whose chucking and wrapping a warm arm around his waist.

Joe and Andy greet them at the table, each high-fiving Patrick for his performance. “Who would’ve know that the guy you makes a killer latte can fucking _sing_ to boot! You’ve been hold out on us man!” Joe joked with a soft punch to his arm. “Hell, Pete would it be against company policy to start a band within ourselves?”

Trohman meant it as a joke, but Pete could already see the potential, him on bass, Andy on drums, Joe on guitar and Patrick, beautiful, talented, sassy _Patrick_ , on vocals…

“Oh, god no, you can’t really think I sang that good…” said Patrick with a roll of his eyes as he leaned against Pete’s side, his body solid and warm against his.

“How can you _not_ see it man!” Joe starts but then is cut off by Andy tugging at a loose curly lock of hair. “Ow! Pete the vegan’s hurting me!”

“Leave the poor guy alone, you can try to convince him to record with you later,” Andy chided with a smile. “And for the record, Patrick, you were pretty incredible.”

Pete laughed as Patrick sighed into his shoulder, annoyed but not upset. The conversation changed quickly to the other performers before him, Patrick knowing nearly everyone and avidly chatting about their sets. It wasn’t too long before intermission ended and the rest of the performers for the night came on.

Throughout the rest of the show, Pete’s arm was securely around the barista’s waist, as Patrick rested against his side, his head tucked close to the crook of his neck. During the second act, Pete’s fingertips found the hem of the strawberry blonde’s shirt, careful fingers moving underneath it to trace circles on warm skin. Patrick hummed softly into the touch as he turned to kiss Pete’s shoulder as reassurance that it was okay, that he wasn’t going to run and disappear, because Patrick knew how to stay stop, he knew how Pete was careful, hell, they’ve talk about it before one night when things _almost_ went too far on Patrick’s couch.

When the last performance of the night came on, the MC, Tyler coming out with a ukulele. “So, I’ll be ending the night on a softer note. Thank you for coming out tonight, thank you to all of our incredible acts, and hopefully, we’ll see you all next time!” The crowd applauses but then quiets as he begins to strum on his ukulele.

_“Wise men say only fools rush in_

_But I can’t help falling in love with you…”_

The crowd begins to sway to the music, some even singing along to the familiar song as it flows through the space. It’s a cool ending to an amazing lineup of performances, and the fact that the crowd is so into the music, makes Pete want to produce more, it makes him want to keep on fighting for his label and bring in artist that actually care about the music that make people want to dance along, and sing along with it, kind of like now.

It’s a surreal kind of moment, one that you can only get at a concert, but yet, it’s hear in this little coffee shop, filled to capacity just to then to music. Pete soon finds himself swaying with the crowd at a simple Elvis song, and no one seems to care.

“ _Oooh…take..my hand…_

_Take my whole life too,”_

He feels lips moving against his shirt and he glances down; Patrick’s eyes trained on the stage but mouthing the lyrics along with Tyler and the rest of the crowd. At that exact moment, Patrick looks up, blue-hazel eyes meeting warm whiskey with a smile as he averts his gaze, embarrassed. Pete chuckles and kisses his temple, being mindful of his fedora as he hears Patrick sing along with the chorus.

_“Cause I can’t help.._

_Falling in love with you..”_

Patrick shifts a bit do that their foreheads are touching, fingers coming up to caress Pete’s rough cheek with a feather a light touch, forgetting for a moment that they were in a crowded room, but it didn’t matter, not when Pete kissed his lips gently before he and the crowd sang along for the final lines of the sing, Patrick’s lips against his.

_“Because I can’t help_

_Falling in love with you.”_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww....I really enjoyed writing this, and part of me was happy to hold off until Valentine's day to post this. And like I said, if you want something a little more angsty, 'in the Breaking' will be updated around the same time as this one and yeah...I ripped out my own heart with that one...
> 
> As for the artist I used, that might not seem too familiar to you, the second act was inspired but Kurt Hugo Schinder and Sam Tsui's cover of "Honey, I'm good" it's am awesome video and its on Youtube so go check it out!
> 
> The next installment should be up within a month, work stress permitting lol, but definitely before March 20th as that's when Iris and I will be going to see the boys in Wintour, and we're fucking excited!
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are appreciated and loved, and if you have any ideas or prompts that you might want to see in the series (sexy-times will be coming up in the next one, just to let you know) feel free to leave a comment or drop by my tumblr! 
> 
> Thank you! xoxo


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